Flying with a Car Seat? Know Your Rights!

When my son was 8 months old we flew from California to Chicago to visit relatives. Although I was not yet a Child Passenger Safety Technician, I understood the importance of using car seats, even on airplanes. So, as a diligent mother, I purchased him a ticket and installed his Britax Wizard rear-facing.

On three of our four flights, we had no problems. On the last one, though, the flight attendant insisted that I turn my son’s seat forward-facing because the passenger in front of him wouldn’t be able to recline. I knew the car seat should stay rear-facing, but with no proof and a plane full of anxious passengers, I acquiesced rather than put up a fight.

The Advisory Circular, which was updated in September 2015, details the FAA’s policies regarding child restraints on planes, and anyone traveling by aircraft with a child in a car seat would be wise to print out a copy and take it onboard. (Please note that the FAA regulations apply to U.S.-based carriers operating inside or outside of the United States. If you’re flying a foreign airline these guidelines won’t necessarily apply.)

To make things easy for you, the traveling parent, I am going to tell you exactly where to find the pertinent information so you can print out the Circular and highlight what you might need.

Parents are Allowed to Use Child Restraints: The Advisory Circular includes wording that no airline “may prohibit a child from using an approved CRS when the parent/guardian purchases a ticket for the child.” It also states that if the child restraint doesn’t fit in the specific seat assigned to the child, the airline needs to try to accommodate it in different seat within the same service class. You can find that information in Sections 10-d and 10-f on page 8.

Rear-Facing vs. Forward-Facing: Since the complaint we hear most often is that parents were forced to turn a child forward-facing, be sure to highlight Section 19 on pages 14-15 if you plan on using a rear-facing car seat. It states: “CRSs must be installed in forward-facing aircraft seats, in accordance with instructions on the label. This includes placing the CRS in the appropriate forward or aft-facing direction as indicated on the label for the size of the child.” Flight attendants often misinterpret the rules to mean that the child restraint has to be installed forward-facing, not just on a seat that’s facing forward. So in addition to highlighting, you might want to underline the part about “appropriate forward or aft-facing direction.”

Window Seats vs. Other Seats: The rest of Section 19 (page 15) discusses placement of the child restraint. Windows are preferred, but other seats might be acceptable as long as they don’t block other passengers from exiting the plane.

Children Over 40 lbs: Section 24 on pages 16-17 states that parents can use a restraint for a child of any age or size as long as the restraint is “appropriate for that child’s size and weight.” That can be important if you’re using a car seat for an older child, especially one over 40 pounds.

Boosters with Harnesses are Allowed: Are you traveling with a combination seat (a harnessed seat that can also be used as a booster), and think the flight attendant might say you can’t use it because boosters are banned? Just point out Section 17-b on pages 13 and 14, which explains that those restraints are fine as long as the harness is being used (provided your seat really is approved for airline use with the harness, of course).

Worn-Off Labels: Have the stickers worn off of your car seat? No problem. Section 12-b on page 10 says that you can use the seat if you provide a letter from the child restraint manufacturer stating that the seat is approved for airline use. If you have the manual (which you should!), that will suffice, too.

Foreign Seats: Is your seat from another country? That’s ok. As long as it bears a sticker showing that it has been approved for aircraft use by the UN or a foreign government, American-based airlines are required to let you use it. (Section 9-b on page 6 and Sections 12 and 13 on page 10.)

Once you have boarded the plane, highlighted copy of the Advisory Circular in hand, what do you do if you are challenged? Be firm but polite. Air travel tends to put people on edge, but you’ll win more battles with kindness than hostility.

Take out your Advisory Circular and point to the pertinent rule. Ask the flight attendant if he has information that contradicts the FAA’s guidelines, and if he does, ask to see it.

If the crew continues to give you trouble, only you can decide how far to push the issue. Regardless of the outcome, make sure you file a complaint with the Department of Transportation (by mail, phone, or online) and your airline.

Hopefully, though, your preparation will pay off and you can fly happy, knowing your child is as safe as possible.

Looking for more helpful information on flying the friendly skies with kids? Check out our related blogs on the subject:

need thoughts on this…recently traveled on spirit airlines. I had a 7 month old in an infant car seat, plus 2 other children. We pre-boarded early to get our kids comfortable. We were greeted by 2 FA when we boarded….hence they saw the baby in the car seat. Prior to push back another FA came through the cabin to check seatbelts…baby was good. During that time everyone was still getting settled. Our plane was pushed back and we began taxiing, baby was finally getting comfortable and dozing off to sleep. Then a FA taps me on the shoulder, I immediately showed her that the car seat was seat belted in, but then quickly realize that is not why she was there. I noticed she had a flash light. She wanted to see the air craft approved label….Did I mention …We were taxiing!! I was extremely upset. The seats on Spirit Airlines are almost impossible to get the car seat into. So, now she was standing there with her little flashlight wanting to see something that is located underneath the car seat. I had to unbuckle a sleeping baby (of course waking him), to show her something that should have been checked 30 minutes ago. She never apologized, which honestly would have went a long way. If a person would have unbuckled their seat belt while taxiing they would have been told about it, but because its an infant its ok for them to be out of a seat belt. Any one else have any experience with this?

JenJanuary 30, 2018

Report the sincident to Spirit and to the FAA. Include your flight number, the date of the flight, a physical description of the flight attendant (the company can narrow it down from the manifest), and a description of what happened. Tell Spirit that they need to retrain their employees. Tell the FAA that you were instructed to unbuckle and uninstall a car seat while the plane was taxiing. You are absolutely right that the car seat should have been checked before the plane pushed back from the gate.

The FAA wording is also in the car seat manual. The FAA says you can show the FAA wording in the manual instead of on the seat itself because there is a picture of the car seat on the cover of the manual (I forget where it is in the circular, but it is in there). Granted, I don’t know that getting the manual off/out of the car seat while it was occupied would have been any easier.

The unsecured car seat was a safety issue, regardless whether or not it was occupied.

I have been told to uninstall a car seat while the plane was taxxing, but in the end I didn’t have to. It was on a foreign carrier, and the one flight attendant found the relevant information in the flight attendant’s manual before I finished looking at the other as if she had three heads, let alone before I asked her slowly if she really wanted me to get out of my seat, get my daughter out of her seat, and uninstall the car seat while the plane was taxiing.

Elizabeth FJune 28, 2017

I’ve twice had problems with FA’s making me turn my child’s car seat forward facing after takeoff. They claim that, if the CRS prevents the passenger seated in front of it from reclining his seat, I must turn it around (even if this wakes the baby–grrrr) once the aircraft has reached cruising altitude.

Hi… I am seeking advice on selecting a carseat for international travel. Ideally, I want to take the car seat straight from our car (US), on the plane, and then install it in a car at our destination (France). Has anyone done this before, who can provide advice? My main concern is whether the carseat will be compatible with a European car. If the carseat has built-in lock-off (e.g., Britax), can I feel safe installing it in ANY rear seat with a lap-shoulder belt? It seems that carseats marketed to the US market are not approved for use in Europe and vice-versa. Are there exceptions? Is it better to install a US carseat (that I know how to install) in a European car, or to rely on a car rental agency to provide a safe European car seat, and install it correctly? Thanks.

JennieJanuary 3, 2017

Hi, Helen. Although foreign seats might not technically be legal for use in other countries, it would be very rare for someone to get in trouble for short-term use on vacation. In fact, I’ve never heard of it. It’s impractical to expect people to buy new car seats for a short trip, and rental seats come with their own potential issues (unknown history, possibly missing parts, filth, etc.) US seats with lockoffs should work with foreign cars. Seats with lock offs tend to be on the heavier side, so you might want to go with a lighter-weight seat and practice using a locking clip instead. If your child is on the lighter side, LATCH/UAS is likely to work as well.

What we need is the right to assistance at the airport – when one parent is travelling with more than one child who needs a car seat on the plane, it’s impossible to handle two seats, two kids, plus the necessary carryons. Airports should be required to assist all passengers who need assistance with safety devices on a plane – including car seats.

Unfortunately all FAA regulations fall out of the window as soon as you fly abroad. I have had to fight with Austrian Airlines flight crew about installing Nuna Pipa (FAA approved) because this specific car seat is not on their list of approved car seats. They also said that “it would not allow the passenger in front of it to recline”. I guess a passenger comfort is more important than infant safety. Parents beware of Austrian Airlines. Unlike Lufthansa, they do not accept just any FAA approved aft facing car seat. Even if you purchase a seat for your infant.

Any suggestions on what to do when traveling with infants when the rear-facing infant car seat simply won’t fit? Can you use a rear-facing ONLY car seat forward-facing on the plane? Should we put a 15-pound 10 month old in my big kid’s convertible forward facing seat? We have a small (then) 10-month old planning a cross-country trip. Only flight that works is Spirit Airlines, known for having the lowest “pitch” (seat depth) in the business. Their customer service folks are particularly unhelpful in giving any guidance… and I can’t find a single online chat where someone has actually been able to use a rear-facing seat on one of their planes. I know the FAA guidelines say they have to switch my seats to one that fits her carseat… but only if in same class… and only if they actually have seats on the plane where it fits. On their website, they say they can’t put infant seats in the “big seats” because the seat belts are inflatable (side note, what does that mean?!?) and I don’t think they have bulkheads, and I can’t find a list anywhere of smaller depth rear-facing seats (less than 28″ depth). I’d rather just give up on the trip than get to the airport and them tell me she gets to be a lap baby on a sausage factory flight for 5 hours.

JennieFebruary 16, 2015

Those are likely outdated recommendations based on old seats that didn’t rear-face longer than 20ish lbs. I would print out the Advisory Circular and highlight section 18, which says a car seat can be used rear-facing or forward-facing as long as the child meets the seat’s guidelines.

I downloaded the handbook but found that lots of facts don’t match. It’s not mentioned that I have a right to use a car seat for an over 2 year old if the kid is not disabled. Section 23 talks now about disabled children. Did I read it wrong?

JennieMay 9, 2014

Section 23 applies to any person who is able to fit in a restraint. It specifically mentions people with disabilities because, until fairly recently, people didn’t use child restraints past 40 lbs unless there was a disability involved. However, that section specifically says that flight attendants can’t refuse to let ANY child use an approved car seat as long as the child fits according to the manufacturer’s guidelines.

MJanuary 6, 2014

This is great info. I’m getting ready to fly internationally with 2 kids in car seats. 1 in a convertible (3 1/2 yrs) and 1 in an infant seat (11 months). I had an experience years ago that had an airline attendant tell me to put the rear facing infant seat in a forward facing position. This time around, I plan to have this info on me so I can keep my guy rear facing for the flight.

That’s really handy information to have; I’ll be bookmarking it for future use.

JennieJuly 9, 2013

KQ: Oops! No, it wasn’t updated! Other than the first paragraph, this is the same blog post we ran when the Circular was updated the last time. I’ll edit that to make it more clear.

ketchupqueenJuly 9, 2013

Whoa, they updated it? I didn’t even know. 🙂 We’ll be flying in September. I’ve always done ok without the circular before (especially on Southwest, where they are usually great about car seats, I’ve only ever had one problem and I “won”) but I may print it out just because you never know.

Canadian readers, please know that the National Safety Mark (maple leaf sticker) suffices as proof that your seat is certified for airplane use. 🙂

AK DadJune 15, 2013

Excellent info! You really do have to come prepared, because my experience with flight attendants (particularly the older ones who tend to be in charge) has been frustrating to say the least. I just recently was told my 5.5yo daughter was “too big” for her Radian on a flight. You can imagine how well that conversation ended for the FA …

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